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Review: Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is worth revisiting

If you didn't play Tomb Raider last year, the Definitive Edition is definitely worth your time

Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is worth picking up if you missed experiencing the original version of the game.Photo: Handout/Square-Enix

Patrick O'Rourke

Published: January 31, 2014 - 11:20 AM

Updated: February 2, 2014 - 2:55 AM

It’s hard to deny Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is a great looking game.

While I only spent a brief period of time with last year’s Xbox 360 version, the graphical difference between Tomb Raider and this new re-released Definitive Edition, is significant. Everything from Lara’s TressFX-infused hair to the game’s textures and environments are great looking.

Unfortunately they don’t exactly have the same next-gen sheen of games like Ryse that have been built from the ground up for the Xbox One and PS4. Tomb Raider is probably the first of many “last-generation” graphically upgraded games to land on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

I’ve also played the PC version of Tomb Raider, although this was on a relatively low-end computer, so I didn’t get to experience the graphical prowess the PC multi-platform games often provide.

In terms of other differences between Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, there really aren’t very many. The voice commands in the PlayStation 4 version are effective (if you own a PlayStation Camera), but don’t really add much to game’s overall experience.

Also, on occasion, in-game voices, whether it’s during cut scenes or enemies yelling random stuff during gameplay shooting sequences, are often picked up by the game as voice commands. A number of times the game randomly paused or Lara would switch from her bow to a shotgun, resulting in my untimely demise. This issue eventually got so bad that I turned off the voice commands.

There are also voice commands in the Xbox One version of Tomb Raider, but they experience the same difficulties as the game’s PS4 counterpart. The DualShock 4’s controller light flashes when you’re holding a torch, but since the illumination is located on the back of the controller, I rarely noticed this feature and it does very little to change the game. The PlayStation 4 version also runs at a steady 60 frames per second at 1080p, which looks extremely impressive and smooth. The Xbox One version, reportedly suffers from frame rate issues, coming in at only 30 frames per second, although I didn’t notice much of a difference between the two versions.

Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition features an island full of a bunch of angry people who want to kill you.

While playing through Tomb Raider, I began to reminisce about how far the franchise has come over the years. The first Tomb Raider, although its controls are horrible by today’s standards, was one of the first full three-dimensional games. Remember when you had to fight those raptors? The game’s first two sequels, Tomb Raider 2 and 3, improved upon the first Tomb Raider, but after those entries in the franchise, the series started to go downhill.

The franchise has seen numerous reboot attempts over the years, with the most notable probably being Tomb Raider: Legend and Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, but none of these re-imagined games managed to modernize the once influential franchise. With Tomb Raider, a full reboot of the storied series, Crystal Dynamics has successfully reinvigorated the franchise and made it relevant again.

In order to do this, the game’s developers have borrowed heavily from Naughty Dog’s Indiana Jones-esque Uncharted Franchise, not that this is necessarily a bad thing. At times though, Tomb Raider tends to feel so similar to the Uncharted series that it was almost like I was playing Uncharted: Tomb Raider Edition.

Lara controls beautifully over the course of the game and her character’s motion capture is particularly impressive. During certain sequences, especially heavily scripted portions of the game, it’s entertaining to watch her leap and bound over objects.

The game’s cinematic quick-time events get a little frustrating and seem out of place, considering they usually involve pressing the same button or simply just waggling your controller’s joystick back and forth for a short period of time. Not every game needs quick time events during cut scenes; sometimes it’s cool to just sit back and enjoy an action sequence. More developers should take note of this.

It’s also important to mention Tomb Raider now feels more like a shooter than a traditional adventure game, but it’s a very good third-person shooter and probably one of the best I’ve played in a while.

The graphical difference between the 2013 original release of Tomb Raider and this version, is significant.

Tomb Raider’s combat almost always feels varied, and rarely over the course of about 30 minutes are you performing the same task twice. One second you’re blasting enemies away with a shotgun in a shanty town and the next you’re sneaking through a forest under the cover of darkness, taking out enemies with your bow. The same can be said about the game’s simple, yet satisfying puzzles. They give the player a brief break from the action, but are usually easy to figure out, meaning you’re never stuck at one point in the game for very long. This helps keep Tomb Raider’s pace consistent.

Enemy AI is very aware and reacts intelligently to different combat situations, although it would be nice if the game featured more character models because shooting the same generic angry bearded man gets boring very quickly.

In one instance I was low on ammo and hiding behind a rock. Two enemies continuously popped in and out of cover, peppering me with bullets, strafing between rubble and barrels. While they did this, their companion snuck around behind me and blew me away with a shotgun. Just like with many video games, it’s organic gameplay sequences like this that make Tomb Raider so much fun.

Ironically, there isn’t very much Tomb Raiding in the Tomb Raider reboot.

While Lara has mostly been desexualized in this reboot, her constant, almost erotic moans and groans started to get annoying approximately halfway through the game. I don’t really know why they’re even included in the first place, especially since the game’s developers seem to have made a significant effort to change people’s perception of the series. The extreme, almost disturbing violence present in Lara’s death sequences also doesn’t feel like it belongs in the game. It just doesn’t fit with the rest of Tomb Raider’s tone.

One major criticism I have of Tomb Raider is its RPG-like upgrading system isn’t very effective and apart from weapons, the statistic upgrades to Lara’s various performance related categories, don’t feel like they really change how the game plays.

I also found myself turning to the bow more frequently than a gun, but this is probably because I upgraded it more than any other weapon in the game. Still, because of this, weapons like the rifle or shotgun were almost completely useless to me, especially towards the end of the Tomb Raider (unless I was out of ammo with every other weapon). Why would I use my shotgun when my bow is much more powerful?

Tomb Raider’s island is filled with a bunch of really angry bearded guys who really want to kill Lara.

The game’s plot is also relatively bland and Lara’s progression from a vulnerable, scared character trapped on a stranded island full of enemies who want to kill her, to an angry killing machine, doesn’t feel natural. One minute she’s just learning how to use weapons and the next she’s calling her foes “bastards” and blasting them to pieces vengefully.

Tomb Raider also has an online multiplayer mode, but it’s the standard, “we-need-to-add-an-online-multiplayer-mode-to-this-primarily-single-player-game,” and is rather uninspired.

While the game is fundamentally the same as 2013’s Tomb Raider, the graphical upgrade in the Definitive Edition is impressive. Still, for some people, especially those who recently played Tomb Raider’s first release, a pretty graphical upgrade won’t be enough to warrant a second purchase.

Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is a great reason to revisit one of 2013’s best games, especially if you’re like me and Crystal Dynamics’ reboot flew under your radar last year, but if you already own the current-generation version Tomb Raider, the definitive edition probably isn’t worth your time.

Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition was released on Jan. 28 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.